An artwork on Galleree from Cleveland Museum of Art.
About the artwork
Winter Trees Reflected in a Pond1841–42
William Henry Fox Talbot
William Henry Fox Talbot British, 1800-1877
Born in Melbury, Dorset, Fox Talbot was a gentleman of the 19th century who, like many others of his class, pursued leisure activities in the arts and sciences. He experimented with means for capturing permanently the elusive images formed on paper by the camera obscura, an instrument used as a drawing aid. After several years of varying results, Talbot successfully devised a process that chemically recorded the image made by light on a piece of paper. On February 21, 1839, one month after the announcement of Louis-Jacques-Mandé Daguerre's photographic process, Talbot presented his experiments to the Royal Society in London.
Talbot's process differed greatly from that of Daguerre. Unlike the daguerreotype's sharply detailed image, the calotype, or Talbotype, was softly blurred; yet because the positive image was made from a negative, it had the advantage of multiple reproduction. This formed the basis of conventional photography.
A graduate of Trinity College, Cambridge, Talbot was a man of scholarly and scientific bent whose interests included optics and botany. Before his work in photography, he also had published on mathematics and linguistics. He later played an important role in the deciphering of Assyrian and other cuneiform inscriptions of interest to biblical scholars.
Talbot was made a Fellow of the Royal Society at age 32. He is credited with the first photographic negative, which still exists, a view of a set of windows at his home, Lacock Abbey. He invented a form of engraving that was a forerunner of photogravure, as well as other innovations in the quickly growing art form for which he was largely responsible. Talbot's The Pencil of Nature (1844-46) and Sun Pictures in Scotland (1845) are two of the earliest photographically illustrated books. T.W.F.
Talbot captured tree branches flawlessly mirrored on the glassy surface of the pond at his family seat, the 13th-century Lacock Abbey in Wiltshire. A longer exposure, or a lusher season, would have risked a blurred image. The result was a radically abstract composition for its time—a starkly beautiful landscape, as expressive and personal as any painting.
Talbot made this image just a few years after he invented the photograph on paper.
salted paper print from calotype negative
Image: 16.4 x 19.1 cm (6 7/16 x 7 1/2 in.); Paper: 19.8 x 24.8 cm (7 13/16 x 9 3/4 in.); Matted: 40.6 x 50.8 cm (16 x 20 in.)
Purchase from the J. H. Wade Fund
In the heart of Wiltshire, the lush grounds of Lacock Abbey cradle the whispers of time. With its 13th-century stones standing steadfast, the abbey was not just a home; it was a canvas itself, inviting creativity at every turn.
On one serene afternoon, the pond, a tranquil gem nestled in the embrace of the estate, became the stage for Talbot's artistry. He stood at the water's edge, his gaze transfixed by the tree branches that danced lightly in the gentle breeze, their shapes and forms delicately etched against the glassy surface. The pond mirrored them flawlessly, the stillness of the water turning the branches into fragile brushstrokes of nature—fragile yet resilient.
Talbot knew that capturing this moment would require precision and patience. A longer exposure would blur the serene beauty before him, washing away the crisp outlines that defined the scene. It was a gamble he did not take; instead, he chose to freeze the essence of the moment, creating a landscape that was strikingly abstract for its time, yet profoundly expressive.
In that reflective image, he captured not just the visual beauty before him but also an intimate dialogue between nature and the viewer. Each ripple on the water's surface seemed to whisper secrets, while the stark yet beautiful composition told a story as personal as any brush-painted canvas. In that moment, as Talbot wove light and shadow, time stood still, encapsulating the profound connection between art, nature, and the soul.
About the artist
Creating transformative experiences through art “for the benefit of all the people forever.”The Cleveland Museum of Art is renowned for the quality and breadth of its collection, which includes more than 66,500 artworks and spans 6,000 years of achievement in the arts. The artworks shared on this platform are sourced from the museum's Open Access data under the CC0 license. No endorsement is implied.Address: 11150 East Boulevard, Cleveland, OH, USA 44106
The best place to view Cleveland Museum of Art‘s artwork is on Galleree. Hear the story behind this work, interact with the image, discuss with people, curate your own playlists, and discover so much more from great artists and institutions alike.